In The Long Run
by m3gh4linn3xd33
Summary: Charlie gets in a terrible accident, and she finds herself staying at her dad's friend's Carlisle's house, where she meets a mysterious Edward. Maybe Lemons, CanonPairings, Possible OOC.


**Hello Everyone. **

**I'm m3gh4linn3xd33 ; this is my first fan fiction. I'm really sorry for the choppiness and the roughness in editing-Next chapter will come out better. Please review, :D Hahaha. [x Well , Thanks anyways. 333 I appreciate you viewing and reading and everything, and I don't mean to ramble, but I hope you like it and everything, and I'm sorry for the roughness in editing, lolols. x33 bYee 3**

Chapter 1 

The first thing I did when I woke up was look out the window. Through my alarm clock blaring, I could already hear the rain pounding on the roof of my house. With I sigh, I drew back the dark purple curtains and looked out the rainy window to a sea of almost pure grey. The sky was dark and pearly, even though I could barely see it through the thick layer of usual fog that swirled through the air. Forks, Washington was such a bleak and boring town that I could hardly even put it into words anymore. Not to mention the fact that along with the complete grey atmosphere, it was constantly raining. Two things I hated – Cold, and wet. Forks—was both. After I pulled away from the window, I sat back on my bed and punched my blaring alarm clock in disgust. It read 7:33. I needed to be at school in an hour. I quickly tidied my bed and stood up again. Sighing, I grabbed some clothes from my closet and dresser and got into the shower. Afterwards, I dried my hair and slipped into some jeans and a camisole tank-top and my favorite navy blue zip-up hoodie. With my mouse brown hair in a curly ponytail, I went downstairs to Charlie, my dad, sitting on the couch eating a sandwich.

"Hey Dad," I said to him. "How are you doing?"

"Mornin', Bells. I'm alright." He responded. My name is Isabella Swan, but I like to be called Bella. And since Bella is practically my name, Charlie calls me Bells. He says the same thing every morning pretty much. We do the same thing. Small chat, eat our own breakfast, and then I leave, him shortly following. I began to pour myself some cereal and a glass of orange juice while I heard him set his plate down on the coffee table, pick up his beer, and set it back down.

"I'm glad." I called out to him from the kitchen. I pulled a spoon from the drawer next to the refrigerator and began scooping cereal into my mouth.

"Me too. How are you?" He responded, obviously making an effort at conversation. I appreciated his effort, but him and I both knew that we both preferred being alone.

"Tired and very relieved that it's Friday." I told him, biting my lip. A few moments later, my empty bowl and glass were in the sink. I glanced at the time – I was running late. I grabbed my bag, Said goodbye to Charlie and left. I stepped out into the rain and hurried to my truck. Once inside, I turned the key in the ignition and flicked on the heater. The drive to my school was quiet and relaxing. I liked driving, especially when I was alone. It was sort of a way for me to get my thought collected and prepare myself for my day. I mentally went through my agenda today before I parked in a spot near the road. The truck was still revving – obviously tired because of the heater I had cranked up completely, but still wasn't warm enough. I loved my truck, I did. But it was so ancient that sometimes it was hard to function. I sat in the car for a few minutes before I realized that the bell was going to ring any second. I grabbed my bag and literally ran across my campus to my first period class, making it to the doorway seconds after the bell rang. Sighing yet again, my rainy day began. Before long, I was back in my truck and headed to the grocery store to pick up something to make us for dinner. Don't get me wrong, Charlie knows how to cook. Sort of. I think he manages to heat up leftover pizza and make Top Ramen when he's hungry. That, or he goes out to eat. But since I was here, I wasn't going to put up with a diet like that. I volunteered to be the chef in the house, so it was my responsibility to do the shopping. I grabbed my wallet and headed inside, thankful to be somewhere familiar to my home in Phoenix – a grocery store. I headed to the freezer section and pulled frozen lasagna into my cart. I pushed along, placing a few other things, including a heaping amount of gum, and loaded everything into the back seat of my truck. Once I was home again, I put the lasagna into the oven and started tossing some Caesar salad. I checked my email while the lasagna was cooking, and I had three emails from my mother.

_Bella,_

_You sounded a little down in your last email. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Florida is great – Phil and I just found the perfect house on the beach and we finally get to move out of our hotel. The weather is amazing down here. I'm already tanned. Of course, you have to wear sunscreen everywhere you go, but it goes alright with your makeup routine. Tell Charlie I said hi. Sending best wishes._

_Love, Mom._

I smiled. My mom had a habit of rambling, and then cutting herself off. I guess the two of us were similar in that. I clicked reply, waited five minutes for the reply box to load and began typing.

_Mom,_

_I'm a little down because of the weather. It's not very nice here. No sunshine –Just clouds, unfortunately. That's great—Make sure you send me pictures._

_Love, Bella._

Her next email took a much longer amount of time to load—And I knew it was going to be long. Finally it loaded.

_Bella,_

_I've had a horrible day. I woke up, and the first thing I did was throw up all over the toilet and bathroom floor. Phil was at work, So I had nobody to help me clean up, So I laid there in my puke crying for hours. When Phil got home, I was apparently all crusty and nasty, so he gave me a bath and put me to bed. Then, I had a killer headache, so I was awake for three hours after that staring at the ceiling…_

The email went on like that for a long time. I scrolled down, skipping most of it. I wanted to hear about my mom, but I would have to go back to that later. Something in particular stood out to me at the end. She never used the dot-dot-dot thing, but she did several times at the end.

_… Bad day… Anyways… Bella, you know all I want is for you to be happy… I'm so glad that you are… I love you… Please keep that in mind…_

_Love, Mom._

I crossed my arms over my torso and stared at the screen for a few minutes. I didn't know what to say. She obviously sensed that I wasn't happy, and my life currently wasn't going anywhere. I had been here two months, and nothings serious had happened to me yet. Not even a crush. Nobody here stood out to me. I clicked the reply box and began to type.

_Mom,_

_Just in case you need a reminder, I AM NOT happy here. I don't like Forks at all. I wish I was with you. Trust me, I know this sounds weird—but I have to try and explain. I love you, and I love being with you, but since you and Phil decided to move, I can't be there anymore. I need space. I think Forks is a good thing for me right now. Remember, you can call me anytime. My birthday is soon, and I know you're getting me a new computer, instead of this dinosaur, so communication will be a little easier. I have to go now—I have dinner in the oven._

_I love you._

_-Bella_

I didn't want to worry about the other one for now. At the moment, all I wanted to do was relax on the couch with a book and wait for dinner to be done. I grabbed my current favorite book—The Notebook—and went to the living room. I read for at least an hour, with the TV down low as background noise. When the oven timer beeped, I made the garlic bread and set it on the table. Charlie still wasn't home. I wasn't worried, though. It was only about 6:00, and he gets off of work at about 5:45. He'd be here any minute, I was sure. After being unable to wait any longer, I dialed the police station and asked for Charlie. They told me he had already left, so I called his cell phone. No answer. I sighed, picked up my fork and started eating without him. Just as I was setting my plate in the sink, The front door unlocked and Charlie walked in, soaked.

"Woah, What happened to you?" I asked him.

"The car broke down. I had to walk two miles to a tow station. I had to then take a bus back to the police station and get a ride home." He grumbled. He stomped up the stairs, and I heard the shower water running. I cleaned everything up and left his lasagna on the table when I went upstairs to my room. I pulled out my page of math homework, and realized I was already finished. After changing into lounger pants, I just curled up under my covers and fell asleep, the rain pattering outside seeming like an omen of what tomorrow was going to bring. When I woke up, I fumbled down the stairs and straight to the fridge. I got out the orange juice and drank some straight from the carton, since it was almost gone. I tossed the carton to the trash and went out to the living room. Sitting on the coffee table was a note from Charlie.

**_Bells, Last minute call from the station. I'll be out late tonight. I love you._**

**_-Charlie_**

I can't lie. I was kind of relieved that I wouldn't have to worry about Charlie today. I decided that I'd go out and do something, maybe get a pedicure. I had some extra money since I didn't have to worry about buying a car since Charlie was the one who bought me the truck. I went upstairs and didn't bother taking a shower since I smelled okay. I pulled on a pair of jeans and my favorite sweatshirt and Converse. My hair was up in a ponytail and I put a stretchy headband on. I grabbed my umbrella, keys, wallet and cell phone and headed outside. I got in my truck and headed for the library. I was in the middle of scanning my books when my phone started to ring. It was an unknown number. I pulled it out and pushed 'talk'.

"Hello?" I said. I pushed another bar code against the scanner.

"Hi, Is this Isabella Swan?" It was a male voice, sounding urgent and stressed.

"This is she." I said, scanning the last of the book. I was betting this was just a call about college or something. I grabbed a bag from the counter, a free bookmark and headed out to my truck.

"Umm… It seems there is an emergency."

"It seems? What?"

"It's Charlie… Can you meet us at Regis Hospital?"

"Umm… Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes. Okay. Bye." I hung up and shoved my books in the backseat and started the car as quickly as I could. When I got to the hospital, I checked in and found Charlie, laying still on one of the top floors. "Oh my god!" I screamed, suddenly, my heart racing. The doctor walked over to me.

"I'm guessing you're Isabella, Right?" He was looking at me seriously, and held out a hand. I refused it and walked over to Charlie.

"What happened?" I said firmly through my teeth.

"Calm down, please. Your father is going to be okay."

"WHAT HAPPENED?" I screamed at him.

"Ma'am, calm down or I am going to have to call security."

"Just tell me what happened."

"He was on a call, and he got shot in the chest. It shattered a rib… But thankfully, didn't hit any artery or his heart. He is still resting-but I think he'll be awake soon. We can't really tell how he'll be until he wakes up. But once he does, we can evaluate him and possibly send him home." The doctor handed me a clipboard. "I need you to fill out this form—It's just in case he needs major surgery or anything. He probably won't, but I'd like to have it done just in case."

"Shot in the chest?" I said, taking the clipboard and pen. "How bad is it?"

"It could have caused an infection—like I said, we won't know until he wakes up and we can evaluate him." The doctor went to the heart monitor and wrote something down. I went over to Charlie's bed side and sat down. I began to fill out the form when I heard him moving. I looked over and he opened his eyes.

"Dad?" I asked. "Can you hear me?" He rubbed his eyes.

"What happened?" He mouthed.

"You got shot. You're okay."

"Oh."

I left a few hours later and got some of his stuff. When I brought it to him later that day, the doctor told me he wouldn't be able to come home yet. I sighed, gave him a hug and sat back down with him.

"Bella," He said to me. "I need to talk to you."

"Sure, Charlie. What's up?"

"I'm not going to be coming home for a while… I'm going to send you to my friend Carlisle's house for a little while. He has a large house—Big enough for you to have your own room and bathroom. I want you to go home and get some things packed up and come back here."

"Umm… Whatever you want, Charlie." I told him. I did NOT want to live with some strangers. Let alone in a big house. I didn't want to feel like a burden.

"Okay. He'll be here when you get back so you can follow him there."

"Okay, Charlie. I love you." I headed out and drove slowly back to the house. I threw a few pairs of shoes, jeans and a bunch of tops and sweatshirts into a bag. I bit my lip, hoping they had a computer there. Along with my shampoo and stuff, I was ready to go. I kissed my room goodbye, just getting it over and done with. I could deal with my feelings about this situation later. Right now, I needed to listen to Charlie and get back to the Hospital. I drove back, fighting tears the whole way and quickly got gas at a small station and quickly ran inside to get some candy and soda. When I got back to the hospital, Charlie was talking to a tall, thin and muscular, pale man with piercing blue eyes. Charlie looked up when I walked in.

"Hi Bella. This is Carlisle. I've known him since we were babies—I hope you two get along okay." He forced a small, weak smile, and fell back to sleep. The doctors suggested that we let him rest, so we both left and headed to our cars. I followed him for a long time, until finally he turned into a place surrounded by trees that was in front of a gorgeous, sparkling lake. I was staring at the lake for minutes at a red light.

Bella, I heard about Charlie. Is he ok? Love u, mom.

I flipped open my phone. What was I supposed to say? I honestly didn't really consider him as 'ok'.

He's alright, I guess. Stuck in the hospital. He'll be alright. Love you too.

My mom was the over reactive type, even if she hardly knew the person. Her romance with Charlie had ended years ago when she cheated on him with Phil. She broke his heart, and you could tell he wasn't over her by the amount of pictures of the two of them around the house. She ran away from him to Phoenix, Arizona where Phil's mom lived and moved into her basement. Then, at my 17th birthday, they decided to move to Florida after living in an apartment since they got pregnant with me. I didn't want to be with them anymore—I needed to be away from them. So, I called Charlie one night and asked him if I could move up here with him. He prepared my room for me—which was practically exactly as I had left it. The rest is history. Carlisle was slowing down at a long road secured by an iron gate with a gatekeeper. This house must be enormous—since it had a gatekeeper. I kept driving until we reached the house. Picture the hugest house you have seen. For me before this, it was the White House. But this was about 100x bigger. After we parked, he led me through a group of pillars and into a covered courtyard where the guest house was. He led me through the courtyard and I could see part of the side yard. He unlocked the door, and I followed him inside.

"So, Bella. This is where you'll be staying." We stood in a living room with a few large couches and a kitchen behind them.

"Wow, it's enormous." I commented. I noticed there was another room feeding off behind the kitchen, and another off of the right side of the living room. The room was covered in tiny windows and cozy pillows and blankets. There was a fireplace near where I stood. The walls were sponge painted yellow and gold, and the kitchen was a baby blue with checkered floors.

"A little too big, I'd say. I didn't want the four guest houses this big, but it's okay, I suppose." He told me, flipping the living room lights on. The room lit with a warm glow, and I could then pick out a small dining room table in the corner near the kitchen.

"Wait, there's four?" I asked. I wasn't surprised—The courtyard was in the middle of four identical buildings. I guessed they all belonged to the guests.

"Yes. This one's the best, I must say. It has a view of the garden and the pool." He smiled. "Follow me."

He walked past the couches into the kitchen.

"The fridge is fully stocked. There's pots and pans in the cupboard below the counter over there, and there's spices above the stove. The other cupboards are empty." He smiled, pulling a water out of the fridge.

I followed him to another living room, where there were stairs leading up to a bedroom.

"Umm… How many more secret rooms are there?" I laughed. He smiled.

"There's only one more floor. Follow me—I'll show you the rest." I followed him back through the kitchen and living room and up a flight of spiral stairs. I gripped really hard on the railing and practically stomped on my way up. I wanted to be extra careful not to trip or fall and cause myself even more peril to deal with for one day. Once I was safely up, I let go of the railing and onto the half-wall next to the stairs. The upstairs was full of more rooms. One was a large bathroom, the next looked like an office, another bedroom, and the next was the master bedroom. He showed me the huge bathtub and the enormous bed. Then, he left me to unpack my stuff, which was somehow already sitting on the bed waiting for me. I walked over to the bed and collapsed next to one of the suitcases and took a deep breath, hoping that this was all just a dream, and would be over soon.


End file.
